Behind the Mask
by Night-n-Sky
Summary: Your loneliness is killing you. Your life is nothing but boring... until you feel like you're being watched. Who is this mysterious person stalking, even spying on you? Is it just a desperate attempt of your imagination or not? /Story takes place in present time! The OC is actually you, the reader/


**Author's Note: **Hellooooooo everyone! *grins*

It's been a while since my last update (and yes, I'll get back to my other fic soon), but this story hit me one evening upon seeing a gif of Lee Pace in The Fall. I just had to write it! It started off as a simple drabble, but I made it longer *yaaaay*.

It's the first time I've written a character/reader fic, so I hope you like it. Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the piece of art that is The Fall, nor the insanly hot Bandit *cries*

* * *

You sigh.

You want to get out of here. Away from your desk. Away from work. Yes, your colleagues are fun to work with and you've finally found the perfect job. But it's not enough.

You feel empty.

You broke up with your last almost-boyfriend 3 years ago and you haven't dated anyone since. You just can't find the right one, your knight in shining armor, or whatever they like to call him. You've stopped looking for love anyway. You have your work - busy work. Yet, coming home to an empty house is far from pleasant. Sometimes, you think the silence and loneliness will be the end of you.

You stare at your computer screen, lost in thought, when the sound of nearing high heels brings you back on earth. Clarice, one of your fellow colleagues, smiles at you and sits on the side of your desk.

"Hey sweets! The girls are going out tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to join us? There's a club not far from here and I've heard the boys there are insanely hot." she smiles.

"I-I don't know, Clarice. I still have a lot of work to do. This article needs to be finished bef-"

She cuts you off "I won't take no for an answer! Come on, it'll be fun. We'll just grab a drink and maybe... you'll grab more than that!" she winks at you.

Fun. You need a bit of that, indeed. Besides, if you refuse you'll be welcomed back home by your friends silence and loneliness anyway.

"What time?" you grin.

"Ah, that's my girl! I'll pick you up at 9."

XXXXX

"I don't know what to wear." you mutter to yourself. You aren't really the dress-type, so your choices are narrowed down to two plain dresses, not fit for fancy night outs. Gods, how you love your skinny jeans and sneakers, but they're not appropriate for tonight. You almost consider to call Clarice and tell her you're not feeling well when you suddenly feel a presence, as if someone's watching you. You quickly turn around and scan the room, but see no one.

"I must be going mad." you sigh and rub your forehead. You turn your attention back to your closet and spot a red dress, hanging in the corner, slightly hidden behind some jackets. You take the dress and smile, confused "I don't remember buying this one, but it'll do."

An hour later, you're ready. Red dress, black high heels, a bit of make-up and your curly hair neatly in a bun. The doorbell rings and you open to find a grinning, but as always gorgeous looking Clarice.

She gasps "My god, darling! You look stunning! I've never seen that dress before! Where did you get it? No no, wait. How come I have never seen you in it before?"

"I,well, uhm..."

"Doesn't matter. Come on!" she grabs your hand and practically yanks you away.

You quickly grab your purse and close the front door. Once in the car, you feel that presence again. You scan the bushes on your front yard, yet no one is to be seen or heard except for Clarice.

An odd feeling washes over you.

Not a scary feeling, but one of... excitement. You quickly shake off the thought as Clarice starts the car and drives off.

At the club, you can't deny you're having a great time. You're sitting at the bar with your friends, all thoughts of boredom, the perfect knight and all that crap forgotten as you laugh and chat with them. You're about to drink up your 3rd cocktail of the evening, when Clarice pokes you.

"Seen any interesting guys yet, sweets? Because I have. Damn, I've just made a whole list in my head!" she almost shouts, trying to get above the loud music.

You don't have time to answer as she points at a certain bloke, standing at one of the tables on the other side of the dance floor. You look up and raise an eyebrow "Nah, good looking, but not my type. Come on, Clarice, you know very well what kind of g..." you trail off as you notice the guy sitting in one of the lounge beanbags, not far behind the bloke Clarice just pointed out. He's sitting all alone, with no drink or anything... and he's looking directly at you. You meet his eyes and it's as if time freezes in that moment. You can't but stare back, trying to make out his features. It's impossible because he's sitting mostly in the dark. The only things you can make out are his head and shoulders. He's wearing a hat and... wait, is he wearing a mask?

"Uhm, hellooooo there?"

You quickly turn your head and meet Clarice's amused face "You okay, sweets? I thought I had lost you for a moment there! Something wrong?"

"I-I was just, well..." you look back at the lounge beanbags and notice he's gone. You shake your head. Too much alcohol, simple as that.

"Well?"

You let out an amused sigh "No, no, I'm fine. How about we hit the dance floor, huh?"

You, Clarice and a few of your other colleagues make your way to the dance floor. You give the dancing crowd a quick scan, looking for the mysterious guy, but nothing. You laugh at your silliness and let yourself get carried away by the music. After a few songs, the lights dim and the dance floor becomes darker, making it harder to see the surroundings. You smile and let yourself completely go as the music becomes more intense.

Suddenly, you feel gloved hands caressing your waist from behind you. You gasp and spin around, but no one's there. You look back at Clarice who's almost dancing like a maniac. Yep, she surely didn't notice anything. You sigh and rub your forehead.

"The alcohol must be taking its toll." you mutter to yourself. Just as you're about to leave the dance floor, you notice the guy again, standing at the bar and looking at you. You still can't see him clearly as your view is mostly blocked by dancing people. You hurry to the bar, pushing people aside and trying to keep your eyes locked on him. You almost reach the bar when the flickering spotlights turn on, making the surroundings even more blurry. The dancing crowd becomes wild and you lose sight of him. As you free yourself from the crowd, you let out an annoyed groan. He's gone... again.

Is it really the alcohol or some guy who's really bored and enjoys messing around with your head? As you consider the second option, that odd feeling washes over you again. This strange excitement and dizziness. You order a glass of water as you sit down on a stool. You notice Clarice emerging from the crowd.

"Sweets, you okay? I didn't notice you had left! "

You groan "Yeah, just a headache, too much alcohol. It's already late. Wo-would you mind if I went home?"

Clarice smiles "Good I'm the non-alcoholic here! If you give me a mo. We were just about to grab our last drink and then I'll drop you off, okay?"

You nod "Okay."

XXXXX

You let yourself fall onto your bed with a loud 'poof'. You are completely exhausted and almost consider sleeping like this, but you're in desperate need of a shower. You try to hoist yourself up, groaning in the process, and saunter towards the bathroom.

You get rid of your make-up and reach for the zipper of your dress, but stop. You furrow your brow and notice the feeling of someone staring at you is gone, as if the person has left. You let out a relieved sigh, drop your dress on the bathroom tiles and step into the shower.

You instantly relax as the hot water touches your skin, soothing your tense muscles. You try your hardest not to, but your mind wanders off to that mysterious guy. The way he looked at you, nearly spied on you, was so intense. He looked interested, fascinated even. Most people would freak out with someone staring at them like that, surely when that person tends to disappear and reappear, but not this time, not with you. His eyes carried something secure, in a non-stalkerish way.

Who was he?

You splash water in your face and laugh "Gods, am I that desperate?"

After your shower, you put on your night shirt and cuddle up in bed, really trying hard to get the guy out of your head as you drift off.

You're sleeping soundly when suddenly a voice, a faint whisper, wakes you up. You sit up, or rather shoot up, and feel that presence again... this time in your room. You listen, yet no sound can be heard except for you swallowing hard.

You realize you're not alone.

"Wh-who is there?!" you say, trying not to sound scared.

You hear the tapping of boots on your parquet floor, coming from the right corner of your room. Your eyes are adjusting to the darkness as you try to focus.

"Who is there?" you ask again, this time more confident "I warn you, I'm armed!" you grab the book on your nightstand.

Suddenly the lights switch on and you let out a surprised yelp. There, standing right at the end of your bed, is the mysterious guy... the guy from the club.

Only this time, you can clearly see him.

"So am I." he grins and points at his gun pouch around his waist which carries 2 guns.

Apart from his black hat and red rectangular-shaped mask, he is wearing a black, sleeveless jacket, revealing his strong and muscled arms. Yellow buttons cover almost the complete front of the jacket, keeping it closed, yet revealing a part of his chest. You notice his brown gloves, fringes hanging from the sides - the same gloves that caressed your waist while you were dancing. His trousers are covered by a long, leather skirt, only revealing the tip of his black boots.

You sit there, frozen, his gaze pinning you down. You're not sure if to panic and scream or run away. The only thing you can do right now is stare, yet afraid to look directly at him.

He notices the panic in your eyes and nods his head "Fear me not, my sleeping beauty. I mean you no harm."

That voice.

His voice sounds like velvet, no, even better, liquid gold engulfing your entire body, seeping through your veins and taking over your soul.

Your eyes lock with his. You gasp as you see fire in them, a burning desire. That overwhelming feeling of washes over you again, this time stronger, more intense, like a wave hitting you... a wave of arousement.

You start to feel hot.

You push the blankets off your body, your every movement followed by his gaze.

"It was you, all that time, wasn't it? Not only in the club, but in my house too." your voice sounds firm. Finally.

He flashes you a cheeky smile "Yes. I was and am always there, watching you from afar. And my, you looked absolutely ravishing in that red dress. But I can no longer bare it."

"What do you want?" you're surprised when your question sounds almost like a challenge, tempting him.

"I am the Red Bandit." he says and takes off his mask.

As his eyes bore into you, you feel the heat between your legs. He undoes his belt, throws his hat and mask on the floor and crawls onto your bed, like a predator approaching his prey. You automatically lay back when he towers over you, fully surrendering yourself.

One of his gloved hands sneaks underneath your night shirt, his leather touch setting your skin on fire. He caresses your belly ever so lightly and climbs higher, but retreats.

You let out a frustrated moan, admitting to yourself you want more.

He grins in approval and pulls off his gloves with his teeth. Now both of his hands are underneath your shirt, stroking your entire torso as he leans closer. You can feel his hot breath against your neck, your senses going on overdrive. His nose touches your ear.

"I am here to claim what's mine." he whispers and with that, he claims your lips.

XXXXX

Your alarm clock goes off.

You rub your forehead and groan, not wanting to get up. Suddenly you remember last night and your eyes flash open - you scan your room.

No bandit, no mask. Nothing. Not even the feeling of being watched.

You turn off your alarm and get up "Okay that's it. No more than 3 glasses of alcohol!" you mutter. With some tea and a quick shower you're ready and leave for work.

You had hoped you would get some rest at work, but your mind keeps wandering off to last night, making it very hard to concentrate on your article. You burrow your head in your hands when the phone on your desk rings. Your boss needs you for a moment, something about the article. You grab the papers of your first version and head towards his office.

You knock on his door and enter. First thing you notice is a guy sitting in one of the chairs, his back to you. He didn't hear you enter as he is busy browsing through some papers.

"Ah, there you are. I know the project you're working on is hard and the deadline close, so I employed Mr. Walker here to help you out. He is familiar with the project so you two can start right away. Make me proud." your boss smiles and nods at the new employee.

Upon hearing his name, he rises from his seat and turns.

"Hi," he says as he shakes your hand "my name's Roy. Roy Walker."

You gasp and drop your papers.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The end?

Ehehe! If my fic gets some positive reviews, I might consider turning it into a multi-chapter fic with Roy/Bandit/OC.

P.S: Red or Black Bandit?!


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